davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
Nearly ssEremont and Lincoln.'

There are very few who remember
that the Republican ticket in 1896 came
near being Fremont and Lincoln. We
quote as follows from Hay and Nicolay's
Life of Lincoln, i'll Tile Cc'1t't1y: How
ever picturesquely Fremont for the
moment doomed up as the stand
ard-bearer of the Republican party,
future historical interest CEN
ters upon the second act of
the Philadelphia convention. 1t shows
us how strangely to human wisdom
vibrate the delicately-balanced scale OF
fate: OF rather how inscrutable and yet
how unerring are the far-reaching pro-
cess of Divine Providence. The princi-
pal candidate having been selected
without contention or delay, the con-
vention proceeded to nomination for
Vice President On the first informal
ballot William l.. Dayton of New Jer-
sey received $50 votes and Abraham
Lincoln of Illinois 40; the remaining
votes being scattered among thirteen
other names. The dominating
thought OF the convention being the as
sertion of principle and not the promo
ton of men, there was no further con-
test; and though MI. Dayton had not
received majority support, his nomi-
nation was nevertheless at once made
unanimous. Those who are familiar
with the eccentricities of nomi-
mating conventions when in this listless
and drifting mood. know how easily ali
opportune speech from some eloquent
delegate or a few adroitly arranged
delegation caucuses might have reversed
this result; an imagination may not
easily construct the possible changes
in history which successful campaign
OF the ticket in that form might have
wrought. What would have been the
consequence to America and humanity
had the Rebellion, even then being de-
visedby Southern Hotspurs, burst upon
the nation in the winter of 1856, with
the nations sword of commander-in-
chief in the hand Of the impulsive FIRE.
mont, and Lincoln, inheriting the patient
wariness and cold blood of three gener-
atoms of pioneers and Indian-tig hters,
welding only the powerless gavel OF
Vice President? But the hour of des-
tiny had not yet struck"
The authors publish the following in
a foot-note.
"NIr. L. s. Van Dyke, son Of one of
the delegates to Philadelphia, kindly
writes us: Nothing that Mr.. Lincoln
has ever written is more characteristic
than the following note from him to my
father just after the convention-not
for publication, but merely as private
expression of his feeling to an old ac-
quaintance:
SPRINGFIELD, ILL, June 27, 1856.
Hon. John Tdn Dyke.
MY DEAR SIR: Allow me to thank you for your
kind notice of me in tho Philadelphia convcn-
ton.
When you meet Judge Dayton present my re-
spects, and tell him 1 think him Il far better
man than for the position he is in, and TINT
shall support both him and Col Fremont most
cordially. Present my best respects to Mrs. W.,
ana DelleVe me, Yours truly.
A. LINCOLN.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
A Weld Without Fire.

Relative to making perfect weld Of
steel without fire or Eorax,. a black
smith writes "a job came to my shop
few days ago in the shape OF two
pieces of three-quarter inch roun1
steel, welded together end to end. 4
taper plug of steel was in one end Of =
shaft on which Il corn burr was r1,nnino -
The plug of steel was bearing oraiast
a IKE piece OF steel in the frame, the
OBJECT OF this being to tighten the
Durrs' OWING to q loose box on tla
shaft, the shaft got to jumping. givino
a side motion and creating friction
enough to weld the two pieces Of steel
together as stated. The two pieces Of
steel were hardened. "-Doston B,I,1not
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
MarY'S Little Lamb.

Most of our young readers will be
surprised to hear that the well-knowu
nursery song Of "NIary Had Little
Lamb" is a true story, and that "Mary"
is still living. About seventy years ago
she was a little girl, the daughter of a
farmer in Worcester County, Mass.
She was very fond OF going with her
father to the fields to see the sheep, and
one day they found a baby lamb which
was thought to be dead. Kind-hearted
little Mary, however, lifted it up in her
arms, and as it seemed to breathe, car
ried it home, made it warm bed near
the stove and nursed it tenderly. Great
was her delight when, after weeks of
careful feeding and watching, her little
patient began to grow we'll and strong,
and soon after it was able to run about.
1t knew its young mistress perfectly,
always came at her call, and was happy
only when at her side. One day it fol-
lowed her to the village school, and not
knowing what else to do with it, she
put it under the desk, and covered it
over with her shawl. There it stayed
until Mary was called up to the teach
er's desk to say her lesson, and then
the lamb walked quietly after her and
the other children burst out laughing.
So the teacher had to shut the little
girls pet in the woodshed until school
was out. Soon after this young
student named John Rollstone, wrote q
little poem about Mary and her lamb.
and presented it to her. The lamb
grew to be sheep, and lived for many
Years, and when at last it died. Mary
srievea so much for it that her mother
took some gifts wool, which was "as
white as snow, and knitted a pair of
stockings for her to wear in remem-
brance Of her darling.
Some years after the lambs death.
Mrs Sarah Hall, a celebrated woman
who wrote books, composed some verses
and added them to those written bv
John Rollstone, making the complete
poem as we know it. Mary took such
good care of the stockings made of her
lambs fleece that when she was grown
up woman she gave one of them to a
church fair in Boston. AS soon as it
became known that the stocking was
made from the fleece Of "NIarv's LITTLE
lamb, every one wanted a piece of it.
SO the stocking was raveled out and the
yarn cut into small pieces. Each piece
was tied to card on which Mary wrote
her full name, and these cards sold SO
Well that they brought the large sum Of
$40 in the Old South Church. 4Dcrj-
can .1g1ic2llt1trtst.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
Life Above Stairs in Mexico,

Another peculiarly i'll Mexican life
is that everybody lives over shop if
the house be Of two stories, or uses MS
lower floor for stabling the horses,
quartering the servants, etc. Even
millionaires often rent the ground floor
Of their SWEETEST residences for business
purposes, and nobody seems to have
any domestic use for those lower front
rooms which Americans consider most
desirable.
Go to call upon a bishop, or some
other high dignitary, or upon any
family OF known wealth, and if there be
not shoemaker pegging away at lis
bench just inside the front door, or
tailor-shop, or Il hair-dressing or black.
smithing establishment, you are obliged
to squeeze past carriages standing in
the passageway Or run the gauntlet Of
horses heels, besides viewing the para
phernalia of the forever open kitchen
and smelling the next meals menu
Another puzzling phenomenon to the
foreigner is that every man and woman
to whom he speaks immediately pre-.
sents him with residence. On being
introduced to Mexican he grasps your
hand with ardent cordially and re-
marks: my house is yours; it stands
in the Gale de so-and-so, No. :, and is
entirely at your service;;" OF he informs
you with great carnestness that La
casa Gle Y, ("your house") is such and
such a number; that he shall be Of
tended if you do not occupy it, and that
he and all his family are your most
humble servants. AS probably he has
Just been introduced to you by some
other casual acquaintance, and has en-
]oyed the honor of knowing you not
more than five minutes, he would
naturally be astonished if you took him
at his word. Tie funniest part of it is
that these persons who SO reckless!y
lay all they possess at your feet would
scarcely be able to recognize you should
they meet you next day; and certainly
il you Deing of the "male persuasion
took the liberty of calling at the casa 50
generously placed at your disposal you
would meet with the coolest Of wei.
comes and be permitted to see none Of
the ladies' of the household. -Fann9 |
r. TIny1
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
FUNNY STORIES.

An old farmer employed son of
Erin to work for him on his farm. Pat
was constantly misplacing the end
boards in the cart-the front board be-
hind and the tall board in front-which
made the old gentleman very irritable.
10 prevent blunders, he resolved to
distinguish each board by some sign or
notice thereon. Accordingly, he painted
on both boards large "B;;" then, call
ing Pat to him and showing him the
boards, he said: "Now, you blocllh cad,
you need make no mistake, as they are
both marked. This (pointing to one
board) is B for before; and that Gndi-
eating the tail-board) is B for behind. :"
Whereupon the old gentleman marched
off with great dignity.
A sw1MNlNG-scHooL in Frankfort-on-
Main announces in English: "Swim-
ming instructions given 10y teacher of
both sexes. An allusion to swimming
reminds us that at Dieppe, that famous
bathing-place, there are police estab-
lished whose duty it is to rescue per-
sons from danger. This notice is said
to have been recently issued to them ::
"The bathing police are requested,
when lady is in danger of drowning,
to seize her by the dress and not by the
hair, which oftentimes remains in their
grasp"
OBITUARY notices have not always
the solemnity about their composition
which is thought desirable. A country
sculptor was ordered to engrave on a
tombstone the following words: "a
virtuous woman is a crown to her hus-
band. The stone, however, being
small, he engraved on it: "a virtuous
woman is IS. to her husband"
A COUNTRY paper, in notice of q
lecture given by a phrenologist, said !:
behind the platform is a large gallery
Of life-size portraits twelve feet high. I"
This old notice reminds us of the hand
bin put forth, which was headed:
"Wanted, few healthy members to
complete a Sick Society,""
SCARCELY so ingenious, but equally
absurd, is the Hibernian notice said to
be seen over the entrance gate TO q
French burying ground "Only the
dead who live in this parish are buried
here"
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
Cadet Hospitality at West Point.


cants had returned from physical en-
animation at the hospital they were put
in charge Of an orderly, who conducted
them to Cadet Barracks.
The orderly took the party to the
hall of the eighth division of barracks,
and told them to wait there quietly,
ard to enter the "ofiice" one at time,
as their turn came, and report. Then
Immediately began a course of the
treatment known as "hazing." When
Fred Arden opened the door and walked
in, he Immediately found himself the
center of bowling mob Of cadets, who
"would like to know, sir, what you
mean by walking into this office with
out knocking, sir? Step out there and
try it over again!"
Fred precipitately backed out, and,
closing the door, knocked. A stem
torian voice shouted, "Come in" and
he came. But once again had he
offended in the matter of etiquette, as
he soon discovered from the cries of
"Take that hat off, sir" "Ihere were
you brought up, I'd like to know"
Don't you know better than to keep
your hat on in the presence OF your
superior officers. sir? 2" "Get out there
in the hall again, sir, and leave that
hat there, and l want to see you but
ton that coat up this time too, sir, do
you understand" "Step out now and
be quick about it"
Fred had not uttered word in re-
ply to this TRADE, for he was far too
surprised. But he stepped out" and
made the alterations suggested; while
his fellow-martyrs, who were still wait
ing their turn, looked on in unhappy
anticipation.
Fred's third attempt at entrance was
more satisfactory, and cadet-corporal
approached him in very business-like
manner and accosted him with:
"Well, what are you here for? What
do you want?"
Fred replied that he came in to re-
port.
"Well, then, why don't you report,
and climb out again? What's your
name?"
Erred Arden"
| "What!"
erred Arden" in louder tone.
sM " Arden, sir" shouted the
EYES, sir" Fred admitted; "that's it. {"
Chen suppose you report properly !;
have no time to waste. What's your
name"
Mister Arden"
Mister Arden, sir!" roared the now
apparently exasperatcd fedgeling.
Mister Arden, sir" repeated Fred,
with emphasis
"Ah now, where are you from?" de-
handed his inquisitor.
"From Maine-sir!" replied Fred,
rendered wise by experience.
"There, now, you have made some
progress" commented the tormentor.
you have learned to address old
cadets as Sir Never forget this.
Also, understand that you are now
under military discipline, and that a
soldiers first duty is strict obedience
to orders. Here, jake" he continued,
turning to cadet near him; "take it
up stairs and cage it,"
With q gruff "Come along, sir, !"
"Jake" led the way up the iron stair
case to room on the third floor, and
with grut1er "You stay in there until
further ORDERS" left Fred to his own
devices.-Gcorge l. Putnam, i1 st.
NiclQl0S
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
The Beayer'S Instinct.

An old hunter living in the Crazy
Mountains, says the San Francisco Cal,
caught young beaver soon after it's
birth, and carried it to his cabin, whore
he gradually made a great pet of it.
AS the youngster approached maturity
he got to building dams. and each
morning the hunter found his cabin
floor divided by dam that reached
from wall to wall, the component parts
OF which were tirewood, boots, articles
OF clothing, and other movable articles
in the house that could be reached or
transported. 10 add to the confusion,
a basin OF bucket Of water, if possible,
was capsized and flooded over the floor.
This little animal, who had never seen
a stream or dam to know either. was
busily at work engaged in doing what
his forefathers had done a thousand
years before him.
While all other game or fur-bearino
animals OF the Northwest are likely to
be exterminated without dissenting
voice, the poor little harmless and
Woodworking beaver has found a fast
friend i'll the cattlemcn and herd
owners. The reason is Obvious. In
this great dry country and climate the
streams and water-holes on the ranges
are few and far between. Moisture is
the cattleman's greatest want. Now.
Il beaver destroys nothing but trees,
and as there are few Of the latter on
the great treeless plains of Montana
the beaver Of necessity lives on shrubs
and roots, and builds his dar1 where he
may. This just suits the cattleman,
who finds in the insignificant little
quadruped, compared to his 1000
pound steers, a most valuable al]v in
providing ponds and drinking places
where there We're none before
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

A CALIFORNIAN who is the father Of a
dozen children has hit upon scheme
by which the youngsters can enjoy
themselves to their hearts content and
at the same time do a bit Of work for
which their parent would have to pay
heavily were he to employ some other
agency. He lives in Los Angeles
County, where he owns large tract Of
land which requires constant irrigation
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

Rev. LYNN McGREw, of Mononga-
hcia, Pa, suffered severe attack Of
fever last fall. During his convales
cence, being unable to preach he UNI
dertook to utilize the abundant grape
crop which grew about the parsonage
hillside by making some unfermented
wine for communion purposes, and got
nearly barrel of pure grape-juicc as q
result. The wine fermented so that it
was no longer fit for the purpose in
tended, and the good clergyman turned
it over to the wall to make itself into
vinegar. A few weeks ago the local
owl gang smelled out the wine, broke
into the clerical cellar, and tapped the
barrel. An arrest followed, and now
the work-house stares certain young
wino-bibbers in the face, much to the
surprise and annoyance of the preacher,
who is kept busy explaining to his
temperance friends how he came to
have barrel of wine in his temper
ance cellar.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

PROF. L. L. Youn1ANs, tho lately-de-
ceased editor and founder OF the Popat-
len Science Monthly, left behind him
many rare and valuable manuscripts,
besides u large correspondence, which
includes many letters from Tyndall,
Huxley, Darwin, Lubbock, Agassiz, and
Balm. These are to be edited and pub
lished by ". j. and Eliza i. Youmans.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

CAPT. LEGARE J. WALKER, Deputy
Collector of the Port of Charl eston, S.
c., who was wounded at Appomattoy,
has just had the ball removed. 1t was
so firmly imbeddcd that it required
considerable force to remove it. 1t was
found to be split from its apex almost
down to its base, and in the split is a
portion of Capt. Walkers hip-bonc as
firmly fixed as the filling of tooth.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

A PROFESSIONALISM in sanitary engi-
neering-the only chair of the kind in
any colIege-has been established in
the Imperial Institute, at Toxic, by the
Government of japan,
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
Ely BLANK & BLANK.

Ii is said that the new laws of Ohio
relating to married persons render oh
solcte twelve ponderous volumes on
dover and curtesy, and thereby greatly
simplify the labors of the legal fraternity
in cases involving the property rights
of husband and wife.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

The interesting discussion now going
on as to the identity Of the p. S. Ney,
who taught schools i'll the Carolinas
and Virginia half a century ago With
tho celebrated Marshal Ney, Of France,
who according to history. was executed
in Luxembourg Garden, December Z,
1915, revives recollections of the pleas
ant fiction which ran through tho
pages of Put7lam's Monthly some
thirty years ago or more, in which it
was sought to identify the Rev. Eleazer
Williams with the lost Bourbon, Louis
XVII. The discussion was an ingen-
ious one, but hardly more so that the
present effort to make it appear that
Marshal Ney, instead of being shot,
escaped to this country and became
Southern pedagogue. Right at this
point, however, there is missing link
of vital consequence. History tells us
that Marshal Ney was an illiterate man.
At best he received only a scanty cdu-
cation, which ended when he was IL
years Of age. At is he entered the
army and began the career of soldier,
which was only terminated by death.
He had no opportunities to study any
lessons except the stern ones of battle.
Even if the statement be correct, that
he came to this country in 1916, the
year after history says he was shot, he
had no time to perfect his education,
for according to the new history he was
teaching Latin, Greek, and the higher
mathematics alter he arrived here.
Men at the age Of SO, without any pre-
yious acquaintance with dead languages
and mathematics, do not acquire them
in year or two, and especially with
such proficiency as to teach them.
There can be no question that Marshal
Ney was an uneducated man, that all
the instruction he received-which was
of very crude kind-dates back of his
18th year, and that from his 18th to his
10th year he was in continuous active
military service, with no opportunity to
study. It will now be necessary to
show that Marshal Ney was fnely-ed-
ucated man prior to the time he is al
legged to have come to this country,
or that in some mysterious way he was
educated after he arrived here. If that
can be shown an important link will be
supplied in the question OF identity;
but even then it will be difficult to con-
vince any one that the Marshal Ney,
who was shot by his Bourbon enemies,
pronounced dead by Bourbon surgeons,
buried in Pere Ia Chaise, and whose
memoirs were published by his own
widow and children, escaped the pen
atty of death by his own shrewdness,
fled from France, and lived many years
as school-teacher in the Carolinas.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

OPPORTUNITY is in respect to time in
some sense, as time is in respect tn
eternity; it is the small moment +ho
exact point, the critical minute an
which every good work SO much do
bends. --Sprut. oe'
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

The Queen Of Roumania fell into a
throne by falling down stairs. When
there was no kingdom Of Roumania in
existence, she had laughingly said: II
do not want to marry unless I can be
Queen of Roumania. Running down
the palace stairs at Berlin one day her
foot slipped and she would probably
have been killed but for Prince Charles,
of Hohenzollern, who saw her danger
and caught her in his outstrctched
arms. When Roumania chose him as a
ruler he claimed tho Princess as his
bride.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

SMALL man (furiouslyJ-Who struck
my friend? Large man (contemptu-
ously)-l did, what Of it? Small man
(timidly) = N-n-nothing, but (strucl,
with a bright idea) didn't you hit him a
daisy paste ?-Harold Lanpoo1e.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08
10 make it productive, and as his bank.

to make it productive, and as his bank.
account is not large he had considerable
trouble in obtaining sufficient water for
his land, He dug sixty-foot we'll, put
in cheap pump, and rugged at some
distance one of those big family swings
common in pleasure gardens. "Here,
you little rascals," said Pirch to his
little fishes, come out here and get in
this swing. I'm going to give you
something to play with" In five
minutes the children were flying back
and forth through the air. The pump
worked up and down, making merry
tune, and a four-inch stream of water
flowed from the we'll. The children
don't know that they are working, as
the we'll is not in sight and the swing
connects with the pump by an iron rod.
The youngsters raise enough water dur
ing the day to irrigate large tract Of
land.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

The Carson Appeal gives the fol-
lowing illustration Of trial by jury in
Nevada: A few days ago there was a
small civil suit tried before the Justice
OF Pizen Switch-the same man who
decided the anti-treat law unconstitr-
tional. 1t is always customary i'll such
cases to have the winner Of the suit pay
the fees. The plaintiff, a big, raw
boned ranchcr, was called on to pay
the jury OF six 50 apiece. He immedi-
ately stood up in court and queried:
"Pay the jury $l2?" Yes, !" replied the
court. "Lool1-a-here, judge, amt this
sorter piling it on thick? l just paid
four Of them fellers $40 apiece. DO
they want the earth, summer fallowed 2"
The dead silence in the room was
broken by a slight smoker from the
defendants attorney. The bailiff called
everybody TO order, and the jury filed
out without asking for fees
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-07-08

"MAS's inhumanity to man makes
countless millions mourn" no doubt;
but it is very little worse in that re-
spect than mans idiocy, in keeping
letters which he ought to burn. In the
Goldman will case under examination in
Boston 5l4 letters have been produced
to date, and there are almost as many
more coming. They were all written to
the deceased Goldman by woman who
was not his wife, and there is scarcely
one Of them which a fairly intelligent
married man would dare to keep a
minute after reading it, supposing that
a fairly intelligent married man could
possibly receive such letters. It is not
at all surprising that the will is at
tackled.